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Consumers continue to shift their shopping habits from stores to
screens.

While the Black Friday to Cyber Monday shopping period is expected
to be pretty lackluster this year, one bright spot -- if you
can call it that -- is that Cyber Monday is expected to clock
double-digit growth numbers, according to a report from Los
Angeles-based industry research firm, IBISWorld.

Cyber Monday, the first Monday after Thanksgiving, is expected to
generate $1.8 billion in sales, a 13.1 percent increase over
Cyber Monday spending in 2012. While that's down from the 21
percent growth seen last year, it continues to signal to
retailers that online is where it's at. Cyber Monday sales have
increased by double digits every year since 2010.

The growth in online shopping is more an indication of changing
consumer behaviors than it is a sign of a robust shopping period,
IBIS says. Also, while online sales are growing, consumers are
still expected to spend almost eight times in stores on Black
Friday what they are expected to spend on Cyber Monday online.

The day after Thanksgiving -- Black Friday -- is historically the
unofficial start to the holiday shopping season and is expected
to generate $13.6 billion in revenue, an increase of 3.9 percent
over 2012, according to estimates from IBIS. That’s less than the
5.9 percent year-over-year increase in spending recorded in 2012.

Faced with a shorter period between Thanksgiving and Christmas
this year than most years, retailers are opening their doors
earlier and earlier. Big-box retailers including Wal-Mart, Macy’s
and JC Penney will open Thanksgiving Day this year in an effort
to lure in more foot traffic.